Chapter Four

Chapter Four

Danielle

My phone sounds with an email notification. Normally, hearing that little ding never bothers me. But right now, I happen to be waiting on two important emails. I get poor service in the farmhouse, and it’s not until I went outside on my way to the barn that my email updated.

I dig my phone out of my back pocket and stop outside the corral fence. All three horses are up here near the barn this evening, waiting to be fed their grain. Sundance plods over, sticking his head over the fence. I reach up, not looking as I run my hand over his soft muzzle.

There’s a glare from the sinking sun, and I turn, using the horse for shade so I can read my sister’s response.

That’s great! I need your measurements so I can have the dress altered for you, and I need the final count to give to the caterers. You’re single, right? Only serious plus-ones are invited since this venue is rather exclusive. You’ll share a room with another single lady. Looking forward to seeing you.

-D

“I’m sure you are,” I grumble, shaking my head. “You’re lucky you’re a horse,” I tell Sundance and pat the side of his face. He cranes his neck, trying to sniff my pockets. “There’s nothing in there today, buddy.” I laugh as he pushes me, wanting to check the back pockets as well. “I’ll go inside and get you a handful of Lucky Charms.”

I reread Diana’s email again, probably taking things way more personally than I should. I’m quite good at doing that. But it also makes me realize that one of her other bridesmaids must have dropped out at the last minute and that’s the real reason she asked me to be a part of her wedding. Why else would she already have a dress?

My phone vibrates with a text right as I grab the cereal box from the cabinet. For a split second, I think it’s Diana, but it’s Rebecca, saying she’s looking forward to hanging out tonight. Right. That’s tonight. I didn’t forget. I just, uh, fine. I forgot.

Speaking of getting my life together…

I go back upstairs, change into a checkered dress and throw my long hair up into a messy ponytail. I give each horse a handful of the sugary cereal and get in my car, driving into town to Rebecca’s house.

“Hey!” she exclaims as she throws back the door, holding up a bottle of wine. Her Yorkie yips at her feet. “Aaron is working late tonight and the kids are at my in-laws. I hope you’re ready to party!” She steps aside, letting me in the house. “And by party I mean be gone by ten PM.”

We both laugh and go into the kitchen for snacks and wine, and then take our food out onto the back porch. Rebecca fills me in on how her kids are doing and any drama I missed on the Wilson side of the family. We’re related through marriage, not blood, but that didn’t stop her from welcoming me into the family.

“So tell me about your life.” She takes another sip of wine. “What’s new?”

“Nothing really.”

She raises her eyebrows. “You’re young and pretty. I need to live vicariously through you. Tell me you stayed out past midnight last night and watched a movie with at least a PG-13 rating.”

“I did stay out late last night. Grandpa had a friend over.” I make a face and shudder, causing Rebecca to laugh. “So I went to Getaway and hung out there. At the place I work on my day off. My life really isn’t that exciting.”

“Interesting you chose to go to Getaway.”

“It’s the only place open after ten PM around here, and I didn’t want to go home and risk walking in on something I’d never be able to unsee.”

“You could have come here. Or gone to Quinn’s.”

“She was at the bar too.”

Rebecca fills our glasses up again. “Mm-hm. It had nothing to do with the company you keep at Getaway. Not at all.”

“Yeah, I like Logan and Owen. They’re great guys and fun to hang out with.”

“They are two good-looking men. I don’t blame you for wanting to get a little extra time with them.”

“Diana emailed me about her wedding today.” I change the subject. “I’m only allowed to bring a serious plus one.”

“What does that even mean?”

“I have no idea. A long-term boyfriend? A husband? All I know is I really don’t want to go to that wedding alone. She’s going to pair me up with another single guest in the hotel room. That’s not awkward at all.”

Rebecca tosses back her glass of wine and runs her eyes over me. She’s scheming something, I can tell by the slight smile on her face.

“Whatever you’re thinking, no.”

“You haven’t even heard what I’m thinking.”

I raise my eyebrows. “Fine. What are you thinking?”

“Don’t go to the wedding alone. Bring someone.”

“But I don’t have a boyfriend, let alone a serious one.”

She reaches for the wine again only to realize the bottle is empty. “You haven’t seen your family in like a year. They don’t know what’s going on in your life.”

My lips start to curve into a smile. “That is a good point. I could be engaged for all they know.”

“Tell them that and enjoy the weekend in Hawaii. Lord knows you deserve a break.”

“Okay…so I tell Diana that I’m engaged and am bringing my fiancé. Where exactly do you find a fiancé for hire? A Craigslist ad? I’ll make sure to put that murderers need not apply.”

Rebecca laughs. “I think you can hire a male escort. Or at least that’s what they’d do in the romantic comedy movies.”

“Sounds expensive.” I shake my head. “I’ll just have to woman-up and tell Diana I’m still very much single and can—” I cut off when my phone rings. I pull it out of my purse and look up at Rebecca. “Speak of the Devil. It’s my mother.”

I take a big gulp of wine before I answer. Mom texts me a few times a month to check in on me but has only called a handful of times since I moved here.

“Mom, hi,” I say into the phone, sounding way too enthusiastic. “How are you?”

“Hello, honey. I’m good, thank you. Did you get your sister’s email?”

I wince. “Uh, yeah. And I replied.”

“She said she sent you one more after that. I supposed you didn’t bother checking. Our meeting with the caterer for the final tasting got bumped up to tomorrow morning. I need to give him the final count. I should put you down for one, I presume.”

“Uh,” I start, feeling her judgment weigh down on me. It’s impressive, really, how she can be so condescending with so few words. “No. I’m bringing a date.”

Rebecca squeals in the background, and I wave my hand at her to shoo her away. Clamping her hand over her mouth, she goes into the house to get more wine.

“A date? Each plate costs well over a hundred dollars. If this date is just some fling, you might not be with a month from now—”

“We’re engaged.”

A few seconds of silence tick by. “What?”

“He’s, uh, my fiancé,” I say right as Rebecca comes back out, almost spilling the wine as she does an excited dance around the porch.

“W-when did this happen?” Mom stammers. “Why didn’t you tell us?”

“It, uh, happened recently, and I didn’t want to steal the spotlight from Diana. I know how big of a deal this wedding is for her.”

“It is a big deal, but so is you getting engaged. Who is this man? How did you meet? What does your ring look like?”

“What, Mom?” I shout. “I can’t hear you. I think I’m losing service. I’m driving through a cornfield right now. Yep. Can’t hear a thing. Talk to you later. Love you!”

I hang up and feel the blood leave my face. “I think she bought it. Grab your computer and let’s look for—” I shudder “—male escorts.”

Rebecca twists the cap off the Moscato and pours a bit in her glass before disappearing inside, returning a minute later with her laptop. “What do we even type in?” she asks, pulling up a search engine.

“Male escorts for hire? Legal ones. I do not want to get arrested for prostitution.”

“That’s always a good thing to avoid.” She types in the search, and we filter through results. The first site we check out is promising, and they have a few escorts located in the Chicago area.

“Ohhh, Stephan is a hottie!” I point to a dark-haired guy. Rebecca clicks on his profile, and we ogle over his shirtless pictures for a minute before checking his rates.

“Seventy-five hundred bucks for a weekend?” I blink, making sure I’m reading that right. “I should have been an escort.”

“You’re pretty enough.”

“Maybe I’ll consider it.”

“I’m pretty sure most people do expect sex, even though it says that’s a hard limit on the website.”

“Way to crush my dreams.” I shake my head. “Okay, let’s see if we can find one who’s not as good-looking. Maybe they’ll have a lower rate.”

None do, and I can’t afford to drop several grand on some stranger who’s supposed to fool my family into thinking we’re so in love and anxiously awaiting our own wedding date.

Rebecca closes the computer. “I was thinking…you could ask someone you’re already friends with.”

“All my friends are—no way. I’m not asking Logan.”

“Why not? You’re friends, right?”

I grip the stem of my wine glass, looking at the Moscato sloshing around inside. “Of course we are.”

“Then I don’t see what the problem is.”

The problems are endless, starting with the way he runs his hand through his hair, messing it up, which looks so sexy on him. Another problem is how fit and tan he is, and the way his muscles flexed as he moved those pavers today. The way sweat rolled down said muscles, practically forcing my eyes to check out his chiseled abdomen. But that’s not as problematic as the sharp V cut of muscle that disappears down his waistband.

Or the way that he’s both equally grumpy and one of the most thoughtful people on the planet, which makes him infuriatingly desirable.

“I guess there isn’t a problem.” I smile, bringing the glass of wine to my lips to try and cover up the color rushing to my cheeks. “Assuming he’d want to go with me.”

“It’s a free trip to Hawaii. Who wouldn’t want to go?”

“Someone sane.”

She playfully nudges me. “Just ask him. The worst he can say is no.”

Logan and I know each other well enough that we could easily pull off pretending to be a real couple. But Rebecca is wrong. Saying no isn’t the worst thing that can happen.

The worst will be him agreeing. Because I don’t know how well I can fake the feelings for him that I don’t want to admit I have.